posted May 15, 2004 11:19 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by I_dont_even_know_who_I_am:
Anyone read "cold sassy tree" yet? I just picked it up off of a selection of outside readings and it seems to blow . Any hope?

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I read a little bit of it and disliked it alot. I dont like hearing about old people dating people 20 years younger than themselves. it makes me go blah.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good fantasy series. Ive asked around where I live but apparently no one here reads.

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posted May 15, 2004 11:57 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by alonetogether00:
I read a little bit of it and disliked it alot. I dont like hearing about old people dating people 20 years younger than themselves. it makes me go blah.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good fantasy series. Ive asked around where I live but apparently no one here reads.

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Check out Guy Gavriel Kay's novels, especially The Sarantine Mosaic, comprised of Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors. Kay (a Canadian!) is by far the best fantasy author out there. Oh, and a friendly warning --- The Fionavar Tapestry (a trilogy) is something along the lines of Tolkein meets Power Rangers. Good, relatively original and definitely well-written, but it just doesn't compare to his other works.

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posted May 15, 2004 12:28 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by alonetogether00:

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good fantasy series. Ive asked around where I live but apparently no one here reads.

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Another one would be the Alvin series by Orson Scott Card, or also by him the Ender series (this is a mix of sci-fi and fantasy)

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posted May 15, 2004 03:44 PM         

it's the first school book that covers an entire chapter about lesbian porno, so naturally this is v. interesting.

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posted May 15, 2004 06:45 PM            

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posted May 15, 2004 08:23 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by alonetogether00:

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good fantasy series. Ive asked around where I live but apparently no one here reads.

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The Elric series by Micheal Moorcock is pretty good. That's saying something, because I don't really like fantasy.

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posted May 15, 2004 09:08 PM            

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posted May 15, 2004 09:14 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by BoneShredder:
Saw in Hastings this evening where the last two Dark Tower books are coming out June 8th and sometime in September, respectively. Me happy.

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posted May 15, 2004 09:29 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by MasterWolf:
I'm currently reading a SF Anthology from the 60s. Mostly short stories from the Golden Age, which is pretty much my favorite.

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You and me, buddy, two peas in a pod.

I'm reading the new, updated version of The Gunslinger, by Stephen King.

posted May 15, 2004 11:08 PM            

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posted May 15, 2004 11:24 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by BoneShredder:
Saw in Hastings this evening where the last two Dark Tower books are coming out June 8th and sometime in September, respectively. Me happy.

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posted May 16, 2004 12:36 AM            

Hell, I don't even like Tolkein.

Only one fantasy author has, in my estimation, coupled elves, dwarves, dragons and their ilk into good literature (and it's satire more than anything): Terry Pratchett. I've enjoyed his works since I was a child. If you're looking for good fantasy, by the way, Guy Gavriel Kay is really the only author worth reading. The Sarantine Mosaic for one stands a good few paces out from the rest of fantasy.

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time is, I feel, what Tolkein's works should have been but never were. I like The Wheel of Time simply because of its complexity, and also because it's actually fairly well written. Can't say the same for Tolkein. But because it doesn't really move much beyond stereotypical fantasy, The Wheel of Time can't really be considered truly great fantasy. (Note that only Kay's work fits in this category.)

I think Science Fiction is dead as well. All it is nowadays is re-hashed Asimov or Heinlein. Hardly worth noticing.

Science Fiction and Fantasy are, as far as I'm concerned, the two most polluted genres around.

So, um... yeah. I now avoid any books with elves/dragons/dwarves in the cover art, as well as any fancily-packed scifi. While the rest of fiction suffers from bad writing as well, I don't find it to be so polluted as to warrant the extreme measure that is judging a book by its cover.

EDIT: UBB.

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posted May 16, 2004 06:00 AM            

I think that what Goas said was totally untrue. All sorts of cool Fantasy and Sci-Fi books are coming out. You just have to know where to look. A lot of them are by new authors who are using the LoTR as an outline. However, the more experienced writers manage to create worlds of their own. Just ask your librarian if you really believe that they are dead categories.

As for Sci-Fi, what you said is not true at all. Asimov wrote about what life would be like with robots. There are almost no books being printed nowadays like that. For instance, Orson Scott Card has managed to make EXCELENT Fantasy and Sci-Fi series, and neither are like anything else I've read.

The point is, there are always a few polished gems in the pile of uncut stones. You just have to know where to look and who to talk to.

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posted May 16, 2004 01:59 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by might_of_squirrel:

Have you read the Song of Ice and Fire stuff?

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Nope, never even seen it. Doubt I will, either, since the nearest English bookstore is now 200 Km away. *sigh*

quote:

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It's completely removed from the "good guy saves girl" strain of fantasy. Which is why I love it. A personal gripe of mine has always been authors churning out stereotypical "charming good guy, who overcomes adversity to defeat the despicable, completely lacking in charisma bad guy" books. ASOIAF addresses this in a way I'd almost stopped hoping was going to happen.

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I can only hope it breaks from the typical Tolkein-esque world of good and evil. And that's why I like Kay so much --- there is no force of good or evil in his novels. The characters are everyday, normal people --- nothing special. That's another thing I hate --- characters who are perfect in every way, or even just the best in, say, fighting/magic/etc.

quote:

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If you have just dismissed it because of the cover, I'll give you the strongest recommendation I can to rethink your decision. After all, you may find you really like it, which is always a good thing, and if you don't, well, it's a couple days worth of your free time wasted, for which I apologise in advance.

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Oh, I'll keep an eye out for it, so long as it avoids the stereotypical elements of fantasy.

quote:

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Originally posted by Dangergeld:
I think that what Goas said was totally untrue.

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Totally? I'm sick and tired of reading bad fanstasy. In other words, totally unoriginal and horrible writing. Fantasy has turned into the "get-rich-quick" of literature, because all one needs to do is cobble together a few sentences that sound like Lord of the Rings and one is guaranteed a massive audience who worships one.

quote:

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All sorts of cool Fantasy and Sci-Fi books are coming out. You just have to know where to look.

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I don't doubt that a few new (good) ones are coming out, perhaps maybe even by authors who can write well. And it's not a case of me avoiding these books entirely --- I read them. Then I give up because they suck. George R.R. Martin? Yech. Relatively original plot, but awful writing. He should just stick to Jon's story, because those are the only bits actually worth reading. Terry Goodkind? Shallow fantasy, rehashed LotR and WoT (come on, he blatantly rips off the Stone of Tear and the Aiel ) and god-awful writing. It just isn't engaging. In my opinion, he should stick to writing porn stories (not erotic; porn) because that seems to be all his Sword of Truth series consists of other than Tolkein/Jordan ripoffs.

quote:

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A lot of them are by new authors who are using the LoTR as an outline.

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See my comment about getting rich quick. Of course, it's entirely possible to base something on LotR and come up with a good story: it's been done. But you have to bring something new to the story, you can't just tell it a different way. Not if you want quality literature. And you'd BETTER write better than Tolkein does, or your readers will be bored to death ere the series ends.

quote:

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However, the more experienced writers manage to create worlds of their own.

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All well and good, except for the fact that most can't write well at all and either pump their work chock-full of figurative language or neglect to use any at all. Which leaves meagre pickings for the reader.

quote:

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Just ask your librarian if you really believe that they are dead categories.

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She agrees. They are dead. Or perhaps dead is too strong a word. How about stagnant? Both genres are the get-rich-quick of literature. And I'm not just saying that after reading one or two bad books, either. I'm extrememly widely read, and have read a lot of the awful stuff that passes for literature nowadays. And I see that it's utter crap written more for money than anything else. These "authors" hardly even qualify as such --- not only are they completely lacking in imagination, but they 9and their cheap editors) cannot use words like to, too, their, there, or they're properly. In fact, some decide that, to look smart, they'll start off a sentence by saying 'Too, this and that don't work,' or something of the sort. And while that can be done properly, the only time they ever get it right is totally by accident. For God's sake, they don't even use figurative language properly! It's hideous and awful to read. And it's been my experience that these books tend to be the ones whose covers picture dragons and buff heroes with swords and similar stuff. Which isn't to say that all books with similar covers are like that --- by no means is that true. But the great majority is, as far as I'm concerned.

SciFi I stopped reading altogether many years ago, simply because I couldn't stand it any more. Nothing original was ever written, and the only books in circulation were the Star Trek and Star Wars series. And every once in a while you came across Heinlein and Asimov ripoffs. Joy. As for Orson Scott Card, he is (in my estimation, which is, I grant you, limited) little more than another commercial writer, a Steven King of fantasy and SciFi, if you will. I'd heard great things about Ender's Game, and those brilliant remarks stayed with me more or less until I opened the book. While better than most of the other crap out there, it certainly was by no means stellar.

Anyhow, that's my end of the book rant for now.

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posted May 17, 2004 09:44 AM            

quote:

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Originally posted by vampyresin:
also i saw the name Terry Pratchett mentioned on the first page and i would like to comment that even though it's been a while since i've read any of his books (i don't own any and our library sucks), that i rather enjoyed his books, as strange as they were.

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I own about 30 Terry Pratchett books. He rules.

posted May 17, 2004 12:05 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Kung_Fuscious:
goas sounds like you need to get hold of something by David Gemmell. Try Legend, his first one.
Although most of his books are similar, they always keep you riveted from beginning to end and generally raise a few interesting points to do with morality and human nature. And the conclusions are always genuinly satisfying and leave you wanting more.
Another recommendation by him, Echoes of the Great Song. Written in a different style to the rest of his stuff, a lot didn't like it, but I thought it was one of the best books I've ever read. Excellent style and I loved the story. Get hold of a copy!

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posted May 17, 2004 12:11 PM         

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posted May 17, 2004 12:35 PM            

And yes, I've read HHGTTG.

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